The Forgotten Prince: Mheetu's Story AU
by Dawn Foxcraft
Summary: A story based off of the 100 picture challenge guidelines, intended to be a group of one-shots focused on Mheetu's life in a world where Nala couldn't find Simba in the jungle.
1. Chapter 1: Introduction

**I. Introduction**

Rain fell relentlessly in harsh, drumming beats as the young cub wove his way through the groups of mourning lionesses, sparing a glance at his sister with her muzzle buried into their mother's chest. He didn't quite understand why everyone was crying- and even those whose tears faded into their wet pelts held an air of misery over them. King Mufasa was dead, that much he knew, and his son, Simba, had simply vanished after the stampede. He'd left no small body behind. Mheetu wasn't particularly sorry that either of them were gone; Mufasa had never paid him any attention, and Simba had always picked on him, calling him a runt because of his spotted coat.

He struggled up to the top of Pride Rock, his sharp cub-claws fighting to give him traction on the slippery rocks. Suddenly, a large mouth closed around him, and he let out a little yelp before being carried into the warm, dry cavern that had housed the former "nobility." He was set down on a soft pile of dead savanna grass before looking up as the large, slender lion that had carried him moved to lay down nearby.

"Hey, dad?"

Scar simply grunted in response, turning his sharp green gaze onto his little son.

"How many wildebeests were there in the gorge? Were there lots? Was Mufasa all bloody and gross?"

He tilted his head slightly to one side as his father tensed, claws raking slightly across the cavern floor.

"Let's not talk about such a ghastly subject, Mheetu."

"But none of the lionesses'll shut up about it. They're all crying and saying what a shame it was that the prince is gone, too," Mheetu complained. He got up and shook the rainwater off of his pale tawny coat before moving over to the dark lion. "And you know what, dad?"

"What?"

Mheetu raised a paw to his mouth, lowering his voice to a whisper.

"I'm glad they're gone."

Scar raised a brow at this and looked his son over, his tail twitching as a smirk slowly crept across his sharp-angled muzzle. He didn't say a word.


	2. Chapter 2: Love

II. LOVE

The sun had risen and fallen several times over the crest of Pride Rock since Mufasa and Simba had been removed from the pride, and still the lionesses were trapped in mourning. Even when his father had taken his place as the new leader of the pride- their new, powerful king- there had been no celebration. The land itself even seemed to be stuck in a gloomy state of being, clouds refusing to let sunlight caress the savanna.

Mheetu hated it. He didn't understand why everyone was so depressed, why his sister frequently wanted to be by herself, or why the lionesses didn't laugh at his antics like they used to. When he tried to play, he was gently rebuked. It was always: "Not now, Mheetu. I just don't feel like playing today," or "Your roar sounds nice, Mheetu, but could you please keep it down?" Even the other cubs were too listless and sad to engage in a playful wrestling match with the runty Mheetu.

After another day of failing to find a playmate, Mheetu sulked up onto the rock where his mother was relaxing by herself, gazing out over the plain with a distant look in her eye.

"Mama, why won't anyone play with me? It's been a lot of sunrises, and they're still all sad."

Sarafina twitched her ear and slowly turned to look at her son, examining him as her blue-green eyes softened.

"Ah, my dear... Things will get back to normal soon, I'm sure. It just happened so suddenly, we're still in shock."

She reached a large paw over to draw her little cub close, gently bathing him as he huddled down against her.

"But I want to play now. I'm not sad at all."

The lioness chuckled and nuzzled her son.

"Give it time, Mheetu. I'm sure your sister will be happy to play with you tomorrow."

Mheetu relaxed in his mother's paws for a long time, dozing as her warmth overtook him. If there was one place he always felt wanted, it was here, with his mother. Her love had always taken away the sting of Simba's taunts, and her tenderness made his father's detached affection bearable. Even when his sister didn't want to be stuck with the tiny cub, his mother was always there to make him smile.

As he thought on this, he looked up and lightly nudged his mother's chin with his nose.

"Mama?"

"Yes, my little one?"

Mheetu grinned, showing off his needle-sharp teeth.

"I love you."

Sarafina waved her long tail and touched noses with her cub, a soft smile spreading across her dust-colored muzzle.

"I love you, too, Mheetu. Forever and always."

"Forever and always," the cub repeated with a yawn, his head sinking back against his mother's chest as he slowly fell asleep once more.

Tomorrow, things would be better. His mother had promised, and she had never lied.


	3. Chapter 3: Light

**III. LIGHT**

As Sarafina had promised, the next day was considerably better for young Mheetu. The sun had finally broken through the clouds, and the light seemed to lift everyone's mood a bit. There was still sorrow and tension hanging thick in the air, especially now that his father had allowed even more hyenas into the Pridelands- but the lionesses were smiling and laughing with him again, just as they had before the incident.

The one lioness he really wanted to see, however, had eluded him for most of the morning. He had found all of the adults, lounging and talking on the sunny rocks that overlooked the vast savanna below, but his sister still remained missing. He searched high and low, his little cub body squeezing into every nook and cranny of Pride Rock. He went to her favorite hiding spots from their games of Hide and Seek, but she wasn't there. Her favorite tree at the base of the rock was occupied only by some noisy birds. Even her sleeping-spot in the large, hollow den was abandoned.

Just as he was about to give up, turning to leave the cave to join the females in basking in the sun, he spotted her. She was standing at the entrance to the cave, the sun gleaming off her fur as she peered into the darkness. He stared at his older sister in awe as the light glowed around her, a halo of pure, soft golden light forming around her body as she quietly padded into the den. As the light faded into shadow, his wide eyes remained mesmerized by the sight until she had come to stand directly in front of him.

For the first time in what felt like seasons, Nala smiled at him.

"Why aren't you outside in the sunshine, Mheetu?"

He blinked, shaking off the surreal experience, before grinning brightly and bounding up to place his paws on his sister's shoulders.

"I was looking for you! I looked all over, up and down and _everywhere_, and I just couldn't find you!"

She tossed her head back and laughed before playfully tackling him, being careful as always not to hurt him thanks to his much smaller size.

"Well, I'm here now. And since I'm here... Tag! You're it!"

Mheetu let out a shrill peal of laughter as his sister pranced off, her tail held high. Quickly, he rolled to his feet and began the chase, the other lionesses all smiling as they watched the two siblings play together. For the entire day, brother and sister played together, until the only light left for them to bathe in was the clear, crisp light of the savanna moon.

As they turned in for the night, Mheetu nestled up against his sister.

"Nala, can we play like this every day?"

"I guess so," she responded quietly, her voice distant once more.

"Don't you like playing with me?"

She frowned, her ears drooping as she rested her chin on her brother's back.

"I like playing with you a lot, Mheetu. It's just... I really miss Simba. He was my best friend."

The last syllable nearly got stuck in her throat. As he looked up at his sister, Mheetu noticed her eyes were squinched up and watery. She was trying not to cry.

"I can be your best friend, Nala," he muttered, lightly patting her face with his paws.

She said nothing; the only response she could make was to hug her brother tightly as she finally broke down once more.

Inside the den, the light was gone.


	4. Chapter 4: Dark

**IV: Dark**

Mheetu had grown. Not by much, however; he was still small and scrawny compared to the other male cubs that had mercifully been allowed by their new king to stay until their manes had started to grow in. The spots of his cubhood still remained on his face and on his legs, though the rest had begun to fade. As he was growing, however, the savanna was slowly declining.

The sun still remained hidden more often than not, as if ashamed to look down on Pride Rock. Hyenas swarmed the lands, multiplying like insects and frightening the prey animals that the lions had so long relied on. The only thing they had left was the deep, muddy watering hole. Some of the lionesses had begun to refer to the ever-growing hole as Mufasa's Sorrow, as each new thunderstorm deepened the pool while letting the tall savanna grasses wither and dry up. The cubs all said that it was haunted; after all, despite the water being fresh and clear, the animals rarely went near the pool for fear of sinking into the mud that now surrounded it.

On any other day, Mheetu never would have considered going to the watering hole alone. But Chumvi, one of the older male cubs who was rarely seen apart from his sister Kula, had made the dare.

"Ha! You think _Mheetu_ could go down there? He's too scared. And way too little. He'd never make it."

Mheetu had scowled at the remark, even huddled up against his sister.

"I'm not scared. Besides, I'm not _fat_ like you. You'd probably sink faster than a baby rhino."

Everyone but Chumvi laughed. The dark-furred cub flattened his ears and growled at Mheetu.

"Oh yeah? Well, prove it! Go down to the old watering hole and roll in the mud so we _know_ you did it."

Nala frowned and curled a paw around her brother as a hush fell over the group of cubs.

"Chumvi, you know we're not allowed to go down there. Especially not Mheetu. He's still too young to go out on his own."

"Then go with the little baby, Nala! Hold his paw," Chumvi replied, sneering at Mheetu as the younger cub hunkered down submissively.

"Hey, Chumvi, leave him alone. Just because he called you fat-"

"Shut up, Kula!"

"Well, you _are_ pretty husky. I'm just saying," Kula said with a chuckle as her brother glared.

Finally, the older cub backed down.

"Fine, whatever. C'mon, Tojo, let's go see if your birds found anything cool today."

With that, the cubs rose from their lounging spot and began to move away. Nala lingered behind, looking at Mheetu as his eyes glistened with tears.

"Hey, Mheetu. Don't let Chumvi get to you," she murmured, giving her brother an affectionate lick. "You'll be big and strong one day. You're just little right now."

"I'm _not_ that little! I'm getting bigger!"

Nala sighed and shook her head.

"I know, but you're still the smallest out of all of us. Now come on, let's go see Tojo's birds. You liked them a lot last time, remember?"

Mheetu hesitated, his thin tail flicking back and forth as he pushed his ears back a bit before wiping his eyes with the back of his paw.

"I'll be there in a minute. I'm gonna go tell mom where we're going."

Nala smiled at this and lightly nuzzled her brother before taking off after her friends. Mheetu watched her go, his eyes narrowing as his lip curled to reveal his small teeth.

"I'll show you. I'm just as big and brave as the rest of you."

It didn't take him long to reach the watering hole. The lionesses were still out on the hunt, and his father had been busy with the hyenas, so it was easy for the young cub to sneak off of Pride Rock and wander through the savanna. Even with the sudden influx of hyenas in the Pridelands, everything around the watering hole felt strange and empty. The clouds had thickened in the sky, so much so that it seemed he was traveling in the dark of night rather than the middle of the day.

From this new vantage point on the ground, the watering hole seemed even more massive than it was from Pride Rock. For the tiny cub, it was enough to be an ocean. Slowly, he approached the water, only to recoil when his paws touched the sticky, clinging mud. He remembered stories his father had told him when he was just a babe, speaking of animals sinking into quicksand and never being seen again. Somehow, he imagined quicksand would be much more pleasant than this mud was. The smell of rot emanated from the mud, and the longer he stood there, the more his nose began to ache with the odor.

If he did it, they would stop making fun of him. They would stop calling him a runt, quit picking at his size and his spots. All he had to do was roll in the mud, and every one of the other cubs would look at him as a hero- and the sooner he did it, the sooner he could get _out_ of there.

Finally, the temptation overcame his reason. He took a step into the mud, refusing to withdraw his paw as it sank a bit into the cold, unpleasant muck. Another step took him closer to the water. Another, and another, and _another_ step- until, suddenly, he could no longer move. His paws were stuck in the mud, and he couldn't lift them out again.

Frantically, he began to twitch and pull. Nothing. He flicked his tail and tried to leap, only to tumble off-balance. The mud made a thick, heavy _pop_ as his small body landed in it. Panic settled in quickly as he felt himself moving deeper and deeper into the putrid soil.

"Mama," he screamed, the sound ripping out of his lungs as his heart slammed against his chest.

"Dad! Someone! Help me! I'm stuck!"

He roared and shouted until he began to grow hoarse, struggling to keep his muzzle out of the grime.

No one knew he had come. The realization settled like ice in his chest. Not a single member of the pride knew that he was stupid enough to have gone to the watering hole by himself. As he closed his eyes and began to shake with fear in the mud, he heard the soft padding of footsteps nearby.

"Mheetu."

The voice sent a chill down his spine. It was cold, and sharp as flint. Only one lion had that voice.

"D-dad?"

He opened an eye and twisted in the mud until it hurt, trying desperately to see his father. The dark lion stood only a few feet away, staring blankly at his son as he struggled in the mud.

"This watering hole is off-limits. You knew that. And yet you came anyway."

Mheetu whimpered at his father's icy tone.

"I-I... Chumvi was... making fun of me, and I... I-I had to prove that I was big and brave- please, daddy, help me! I-I'm stuck!"

Scar made no movement toward his son. His green eyes narrowed, a dull fire burning behind them.

"You got yourself into this mess, Mheetu. Pull yourself out," he growled softly, thin haunches settling down onto the dry ground just out of his son's reach.

Mheetu stared at his father, fear rushing through him. Slowly, he tried to pull his paw out of the mud, letting out a cry of pain as it twisted from the weight of the damp soil pressing down on it. He wriggled and squirmed, forcing his head further out of the muck as tears wet the fur of his cheeks. Finally, he could do no more. He collapsed, exhausted, into the mud.

"I-I can't! I'm too little! I can't do it!"

Scar watched for a long moment before slowly rising, padding gingerly over the mud to reach down and pry the little cub out of its grasp. Mheetu's light, tawny fur was almost totally covered in thick glops of the mud, and the weight of it alone was enough to make it difficult for Scar's jaws to hold the cub. The lion then turned and easily padded out of the mud once more, his soft footfalls making it impossible for the mud to take hold. He dropped his son unceremoniously onto dry ground and glared down at him, eyes now wide and seething with fury.

"You're right. You _can't_. You're a weak, worthless cub, and you'd do well to remember that. From now on, you _stay_ on Pride Rock. If the hyenas so much as catch a whiff of your scent anywhere else in the Pridelands, they'll know to kill you on sight. Do you understand me, Mheetu?"

Mheetu's small body heaved with deep sobs, trembling under his father's menacing gaze.

"I said, do you understand me?"

The cub tried to nod, but everything was just too much. He was too tired, too afraid, too weak from the struggle- and then, suddenly, he was being lifted again, scooped up by his father's enormous paw. A snarl came from the sharp-angled muzzle, and all Mheetu could see were sharp, clenched teeth gleaming in the darkness that the heavy cloud cover provided.

"Do you understand, boy?"

The question was practically shouted, each syllable harsh and sharp.

"D-daddy, I-"

"Do you understand!"

It wasn't a question anymore. Mheetu tried to respond through his tears, but it was too late. Scar slammed the cub back down on the ground, drew back his paw...

Mheetu's head seared with pain. Claws had made contact with his face, and he could feel warmth dripping from the places it burned the most. His vision was swimming, and the only sound he could make was a pitiful, high-pitched wail as his father roared.

He was only distantly aware of his mother arriving with the rest of the lionesses at a full sprint. There was shouting, roaring, and then the dark blur that constituted his father slowly turned and left. A gentle, soft mouth closed around the cub and lifted him up just as everything went dark.


	5. Chapter 5: Seeking Solace

V: Seeking Solace

Several seasons had passed since the incident, and Mheetu still bore the scars as clearly as he had the day his father had chosen to strike him for his foolishness. His left eye remained cloudy and useless, and still he found himself having trouble with the other from time to time. The lionesses had whispered for days afterward, calling the new marks a black omen. Soon, they had begun to avoid him whenever possible, slinking from his shadow in fear.

Only his mother and sister stood by him, refusing to change their affections for him even as he began to grow distant and cold. Of all the other cubs, only a lioness slightly younger than his sister paid him any mind. Her name was Tama. She was the daughter of one of the many lionesses left in the pride, and only seldom chose to spend her time with Chumvi and the others. Still, she got along well with Nala, and she tolerated his presence with a soft, shy smile that hid her uncertainty. After all, he was "The Prince."

Though his father paid him little attention anymore, it grew more obvious with each passing season that the pale-coated cub was growing to resemble him. His muzzle was sharp and finely-angled, his legs long and elegantly curved, and the short tufts of his mane that had started to grow in were a rich, dark brown. With the changes in his body came more whispers from the pride sisters. His father was leading them all to damnation, the hyenas consuming everything and leaving many of them to go hungry for days- surely, when he assumed the throne, their dark times would only worsen. After all, his father bore only one scar; Mheetu had several.

It was during this time that Mheetu began to enjoy only his own company. Many nights, he would choose to sleep away from the pride, leaving the safety of the den to sleep out on the edges of Pride Rock in order to rest under the stars. His father had told him that the Great Kings of the Past looked down from those stars, but his words held none of the mystic reverence that Mufasa had for the tiny pinpoints of light that painted the sky. His voice held bitterness and hatred every time he gazed at the clear night sky, and Mheetu swore that, if he had been able to, Scar would have torn every one of those lights from the deep blue sky and sent them deep under the earth.

Still, he was entranced by the stars. They calmed him, in a strange way, when he thought of them as spirits of his ancestors. When he looked at them, he felt like he was a part of something greater, even when his poor vision occasionally blurred them all together into one great streak of light broken only by the moon. He never spoke to them, or at least never attempted to voice his thoughts aloud, but still he considered them his constant companions and only confidants. Even when the land withered and died all around them, destroyed by the hyenas' endless hunger, the stars remained strong and constant, even when hidden away by the thick black clouds that heralded storms to come.

As he continued to watch them, night after night, he began to include more lions and lionesses into their fold- after all, there couldn't have been _that_ many Great Kings of the Past to fill the night sky with their beauty. His mother, he thought, should go there when her spirit left her body. Nala, too; they were the brightest and most brilliant lionesses he had ever known, and it seemed unfair that they should not get to show their finest beauty in the sky with the Great Kings. And so it was that he made up histories, naming his favorite stars and imagining the long stories that went behind them- great battles over territory, mastery over drought and famine- all the things that made a king earn the title of Great.

It was on such a night as this that his mother came to join him, having slipped away from her pride sisters to rest beside her son on the precipice of Pride Rock.

"You spend an awful lot of time gazing at the sky," she murmured, not wanting to break the silence her son shared with the stars. "What is it you see up there?"

He twitched his tail, considering her question for a long moment before leaning over to nuzzle her powerful foreleg.

"I see the Great Kings, and their smart, beautiful Queens. I see brave lionesses, strong rogues, healthy cubs," he chuckled as he went on, a crooked grin spreading across his muzzle. "I see stories. It's fun to think about, I guess."

She smiled and settled down to groom him, her tongue carefully flattening his fuzzy tufts of mane against his pale fur which still bore the spots of his cubhood.

"I think that's wonderful. You're wonderful," she purred, curling a strong arm around her adolescent cub and pulling him close.

He couldn't help but smile. The scars around his eyes crinkled in pleasure, and he happily submitted himself to being groomed by the aging lioness. After a moment, however, his brow furrowed with worry. He looked up at his mother, ears pushed back.

"Do you think Scar will be up there?"

She blinked, her smile fading as she rested her head against his.

"I don't know, dear. He... your father... he's changed, over the seasons. Once, he was a wise, beautiful cub. Just like you, just like Nala... and then, something was broken inside of him. I thought it was a phase, that he would be Taka again after he recovered from whatever scarred him-"

"He didn't."

His mother frowned and licked his cheek.

"No, love. He didn't."

"Will I?"

There was a long silence between them. She couldn't bear to look at him as he searched her eyes for an answer. Finally, she heaved a sigh and met his gaze.

"I hope so," she whispered. The answer came quietly, the sound of the soft savanna breeze on the tall, dry grass. "I hope so."

He tucked his head under his mother's and frowned.

"Even if you don't," she continued, holding him closer, "I'll still love you. Forever and always."

He flicked his tail and nestled himself into his mother's embrace.

"Forever is a very long time," he muttered, his voice a bit gruff.

"And every moment of it, I'll love you."

He closed his eyes as she hummed softly, the sound coming from deep in her throat and resonating through her thinning chest. Before he knew it, he had fallen asleep in the safety of his mother's paws, taking comfort in her ever-present warmth.

_I'll love you forever and always._


End file.
